Russian Classic on the Baylor Stage Explores Art, Love and Happiness

The Baylor University Theatre presents The Seagull, Anton Chekhov's celebrated masterpiece, to be performed at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9-13 and at 2 p.m. Feb. 13 and 14 in the Mabee Theatre.

The Seagull, set in the late 19th century, deals with an eclectic group of people who have assembled at a Russian country estate, a bohemian home for actors and writers. They are an endearing collection of eternally dissatisfied artists who search for love, genius, and happiness. But many will be faced with the pain of unrequited love and discontent.

Anton Chekhov considered his plays to be a comic satire of the unsatisfying rural life of turn-of-the-century Russia. He desired audiences to realize that their lives "are bad and dreary," but he hoped that they would be inspired to "create another and better life for themselves." As exemplified in The Seagull, the characters of Chekhov's plays are always seeking happiness, but never finding it.

Director Becca Johnson-Spinos said that characters in The Seagull are "complex, incredibly passionate, sympathetic, hopelessly flawed, sometimes infuriating and always human. Their tumultuous relationships are fascinating, and one cannot help but get wrapped up in their world. The identities of these writers are wrapped up in their art, and sometimes they can't separate fiction from reality."

The Mabee Theatre is in the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center, 60 Baylor Ave., on the Baylor campus in Waco. Tickets are $15; $12 with Baylor ID, with one discount per ID card. Contact the Baylor Theatre Box Office at (254) 710-1865 or